Guy Turcotte asking for escorted absences from prison, decision won’t be public
Posted September 9, 2026 8:00 am.
Guy Turcotte, the former cardiologist serving a life sentence for killing his two young children in 2009, will appear before the Parole Board of Canada later this month requesting escorted absences from prison.
The Parole Board’s decision will not be made public.
Turcotte will have his hearing on Sept. 22.
If granted, Turcotte would be permitted to leave prison for a limited time accompanied by a Correctional Service Canada staff member or an authorized volunteer.
Turcotte has been serving a life sentence without chance of parole for 17 years since his second trial in 2015. In his first trial, he was found not criminally responsible due to mental disorder. The Quebec Court of Appeal had ordered a new trial leading to his guilty verdict.
In 2009, after seperating from his wife, he murdered their 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter.
Isabelle Gaston, his ex-wife and the mother of their children, took to Facebook Wednesday to share her reaction to the hearing writing she knew this day would come but she does not feel ready to face it. Despite that, Gaston says she will be present on Sept. 22.
“I will read my letter and outline what I believe is essential for us to take a first step toward rehabilitation. In my view, access to privileges must necessarily go hand in hand with the fulfillment of certain fundamental duties,” she writes.
Her post goes on to say she has suffered immensely and she is concerned that the decision will be kept secret, saying she found out at the same time as the public that the decision would be kept confidential.
“I fear that this lack of explanation will reopen old wounds and fuel misunderstanding in a society that remains deeply scarred, despite the passage of time. Any decision of this magnitude, however difficult it may be, should be explained clearly and transparently. I’ve faced the violence of a judicial system that protects criminals more than it does victims—and I’ve read about it and learned from it, but most people in our society haven’t.”
